To The REVIEW:
When I lost my second kidney in my 50s, I was suddenly thrown into a world of dialysis, medical bills and fear. I was self-employed and carried my own insurance, but as my health declined, I became too sick to work.
Dialysis is exhausting enough on its own. No patients should also have to spend months or years fighting to keep health coverage and stay financially afloat. Yet, that was my reality.
It took two and a half years of fighting before I was finally approved for disability benefits. During that time, medical bills piled up, and the financial strain was overwhelming.
For patients newly diagnosed with kidney failure, private insurance can be the difference between stability and crisis during the first 30 months of dialysis. That buffer gives people time to focus on treatment, pursue transplant options, and keep their families secure.
The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act would help ensure private insurers cannot force dialysis patients off their coverage prematurely and onto Medicare before that 30-month period ends.
That’s why I urge U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Charles Grassley to support this bipartisan bill. Kidney failure is already a life-changing diagnosis. Patients should not also be forced into an insurance crisis at their sickest moment.
Doug Lehman, Sioux City, Iowa
